


Not Dead Yet

by Duck_Life



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alcohol, Dancing, Episode: s05e24: The Next Phase, Fluff, Funeral Becomes Party, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 20:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8259620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: Geordi and Ro rematerialize at their own memorial service. Everyone's in the mood to celebrate. Tag for Season 5 Episode 24, "The Next Phase."





	

This is how it happens.

Geordi and Ro are back, and alive, and safe, and the band, after a brief pause, begins to play… pretty much what they’d been playing. Ro was right— they weren’t hosting a funeral, they were throwing a party. If it weren’t for Riker stopping in his trombone playing to give Geordi a bear hug, if it weren’t for Worf gently placing a hand on Ro’s shoulder in one of the most overt shows of affection he’d ever exhibited, an onlooker might not have even known the lively party had originated as a memorial service.

Dr. Crusher had been somberly sipping wine, but once her dearly departed crewmates miraculously reappeared, Guinan switched her to something a little more festive— a Samarian Sunset.

This is how it happens. Beverly’s a dancer through and through, and when there’s music she _dances_. And when there’s alcohol she _dances even more_. There’s a cause to celebrate, _two of them_ , two living breathing miracles right there in Ten Forward, and everyone’s in a good mood.

Beverly dances with Ro first, and she’s a little uncomfortable but she’s also never seen the doctor in this good of a mood, so she shrugs and lets Beverly lead her around the room. Pretty soon they’re really getting into it, laughing and twirling and spinning, and it’s hard to believe that less than 24 hours ago Beverly was typing up Ro’s death certificate.

This is how it happens.

Once she’s tired out Ensign Ro, Beverly zeroes in on Geordi, who’s hardly left Data’s side all night. “Mind if I borrow him?” she asks the android with a wink.

Data quirks his head. “Geordi is not mine to lend.”

“Maybe not,” she says, “but it’s _your_ party.”

“I’ll catch you later,” Geordi laughs, patting his friend on the shoulder. He’s not going to miss his chance to get whirled around by the Enterprise’s own Dancing Doctor, and Dear Lord, she’s thinking in the back of her mind, that nickname had better not be back.

This is how it happens. Beverly dances with Geordi until her feet are sore, and then she kicks off her shoes and dances some more. The Romulans are forgotten, their warp core problems are forgotten for the moment. All that matters is life, and light, and love, and those Samarian Sunsets Guinan keeps providing.

Geordi and Ro are some of the most exceptional people onboard the ship, and now they’ve really done the impossible. They’ve essentially brought themselves back from the dead.

Data fretted so much over how to hold the most perfect memorial service, and really, what a twist of fate. It didn’t matter in the end. It was always going to get gatecrashed by the deceased. There’s a lightness to his shoulders when he watches Geordi.

He wasn’t ready to lose his best friend. If he believed in a higher power, he might thank them for making sure he didn’t have to lose anyone.

Silently, he thanks Geordi.

Ro’s not one for parties, but hell, the whole shindig was half for _her_ in the first place, so she figures she may as well try to enjoy herself. It turns out that when you come back from the dead, people are pretty much up to do whatever you want. She gets all of engineering to do straight synthehol shots.

This is how it happens.

At some point, the party begins to wind down. Picard offers a final fond smile to Geordi and Ro and explains that, really, somebody’s going to have to deal with their muon buildup and file a report on the Romulans. He excuses himself, followed by Worf.

A slightly tipsy Miles O’Brien comes running at Geordi full-tilt and throws his arms around him. “Really glad to see ya back,” he says. “I tell you, if I ever disappear in a transporter accident—”

“I’ll know where to look for you,” Geordi says with a grin.

Slowly but surely, people start to file out of Ten Forward. Geordi’s beginning to realize how _hungry_ he is, and the funeral-goers are starting to realize that maybe it’s time to give Geordi and Ro a little space.

This is how it happens.

Deanna and Riker put themselves in charge of helping Beverly to her quarters, where she promptly falls asleep on top of her covers.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Deanna says softly, placing the doctor’s shoes on the floor.

Riker waves his hand dismissively. “She’ll be fine. Just a little too much partying. Or… funeraling, I guess.” He grins.

The two of them head out to let Dr. Crusher sleep off a Cardassian hangover. When she wakes up, the ship will be far away from the Romulans, the warp core free of muons, and the Enterprise’s problems all sorted. (Well. Most of them, anyway.)

She’ll go back to work in sickbay (after taking some painkillers and drinking about a gallon of water), and things will gradually return to normal, albeit with a little more appreciation for the people they almost lost.

Geordi will mind the warp core and Ro will go back to working at the helm and Beverly will take care of her patients.

She’ll forget about what she was doing the day before Geordi and Ro’s miraculous appearance on Ten Forward. The paperwork, the minutiae— it’s just not that important in retrospect. And that’s how it happens.

That’s how everyone forgets to change Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge and Ensign Ro Laren’s statuses in the Starfleet database from “deceased” back to “alive.”

(Nothing much happens, except that Geordi gets hailed by Leah Brahms (probably intending to offer her condolences to the crew) and can’t contain his laughter at her expression when she sees him standing there, alive and well.)

That’s how it happens.

 


End file.
